Meet Steven Vallee of The Play Promoter LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Vallee.

Hi Steven, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started Rocky Top Game Con in my 20s and now I’m in my 30s. My story is well… I’ll explain my best. I will tell you I am autistic. I’ve been told I get too distracted on explaining how the phasers work instead of telling the story. Here we go.

I started by running some events for some local game stores, because I saw an opportunity to grow the community. I’ve always been good at organizing information and hosting events. There were a few local game stores that were generous enough to let me help out. I first did it for free and then started getting paid for it. I eventually needed to do my taxes so a friend of mine helped show me how to file for a business and I found an accountant.

My events got larger and larger and I learned a lot of boots on the ground style marketing techniques through event management and social networking. Eventually, I started looking at renting a venue. My first event was in a wedding venue where I hosted a gaming convention with 4 vendors and 200 players.

After that year we hosted at an even bigger venue! Chilhowee Park in Knoxville Tennessee! Some People thought I was crazy! Some people saw what I saw and they wanted what I wanted. What I wanted was a big gaming convention with lots of fun things to do in my backyard! We’ve been doing it at the same venue successfully now for 6 years! Last year we had 1500 and we are hoping for more this year!

I want to make sure the event is quality not quantity so we are growing at a steady pace. I’ve made sure of that. Rocky Top Game Con has grown into a multifaceted con now. We started as a small 40k tournament with a couple side events and 4 vendors. Now, we have over 80 events that include wargaming, historical, board games, video games, panels, cosplay, vendors and more! We are a bit different from other conventions because we focus solely on events rather than guests for the time being. When we do have guests they are usually local Cosplay artists and faceless celebrities like RK Post, who we hosted in the past. We think that providing a show where you can take the weekend off work and play dnd is just as valuable as getting your collection signed by your favorite actor.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My road has been a bumpy one. I have accidently burned bridges without knowing with people I cared about and I have been burnt by people who I thought cared about me. I did not know I was autistic until late diagnosed a year ago. I have since been in speech therapy and cognitive behavioral. I have a new perspective and I have been very fortunate for the people who have stuck with me. I am learning to delegate tasks that overlap with my deficits to the people I trust such as soft skills.

Navigating the mental health world while running a business and working a day job has been tough, especially when you have communication difficulties. I have made lots of progress and now have started a mental health track at Rocky Top with guests who can provide mental health resources. I hope to help increase accessibility of mental health resources to improve the quality of the lives of others just as those who have helped me.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Play Promoter advertises local businesses through event management. We currently operate in Knoxville Tennessee and our focus is trading card games, pop culture, wargames, miniatures, historical, and vendor markets. We currently host Rocky Game Con every May during Memorial day weekend. We aspire to be a hub for all hobbies in the state of Tennessee to help bring more visibility to the hobby you love and help you find new ones. We also want to help encourage the growth of small businesses by encouraging collaboration and healthy competition between businesses that exist in the same space and introducing them to new possible markets.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The biggest lesson learned for me over the last 6 years is to ask questions before reacting. There are many different ways to solve problems and our world is rich with so many different perspectives. If you don’t stop to consider others’ views you will miss out on so many experiences. Practice mindfulness in everyday interactions and pause to reflect about why someone might be doing something a particular way. Take the time to reflect back what the other person says and ask them what it’s like for them before offering your advice.

Another lesson that I’ve learned from a friend Stephen Hurst is win/win or no deal. A transaction has to be mutually beneficial. With a bad contract, you will generate disrust and erode the relationship overtime and with a good contract you can build trust from scratch. You can’t be afraid of contracts

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Rockytopgamecon.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockytopgameconvention?igsh=NzZ6OW9zYXJlcndq
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/163eceAZwN/